Listen…I adore Neil Gaiman, and this book. I really do. But…I live right near Weeki Wachi. I have driven past that garbage tourist attraction countless times. And I appreciate the sentiment but like…if tourists go there locals literally roll their eyes. And yes, the first time you see the show the mermaids are magical and enchanting. And while they may draw people in…the true magic is the Weeki Wachee spring itself. Because the tourist attraction is only part of it. The spring is fresh water and crystal clear, never above 75 degrees in the worst of the Florida heat. It feeds off into a river and you know what’s in that river? Caves. Caves so deep no one can measure them because no one that’s tried has made it out alive. The two towns that it occupies are both named for that water and no one can ever seem to leave them. They have a sort of magnetism that pulls you back even if you hate them with all your heart, even if you were born 1,000 miles away.
Yes, that’s the principle of American Gods. That people build cheap tourist attractions in the places of real magic, instead of building temples or shrines.
Artisan Scribbles 